Gladiators Ink Bates to SPC

The Atlanta Gladiators have signed forward Shawn Bates of the SPHL’s Columbus Cottonmouths to a standard professional contract, the club announced today. Bates, 26, leads all skaters on the Columbus Cottonmouths in points with 28 in 31 SPHL games played this season. The second-year pro began his professional career last year for the Cottonmouths where the forward finished third on Columbus with 43 points in 49 contests. A product of the NCAA's Merrimack College, the Vermilion, Alberta native registered 46 points in 103 games for the Warriors over his four-year career. Bates' best season at Merrimack came in 2012-13 when the 5-foot-10, 175-pound center earned eight goals and ten assists in 32 games as a junior. Bates joined the Gladiators today in preparation for this weekend's home games on Infinite Energy Arena Ice, Friday at 7:35 PM vs. Florida and Saturday at 7:05 PM vs. Brampton The Atlanta Gladiators 13th season is now underway at the Infinite Energy Arena. Join the Gladiators for their next home game on Friday, February 5th 2016 at 7:35 PM vs. the Florida Everblades. For ticket information, visit the official team website at www.atlantagladiators.com or call the main office line at 770-497-5100.The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the nation's premier AA hockey league. All home games are played at the 11,355-seat Infinite Energy Arena, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth where parking is always free. The Gladiators have established an unrivaled commitment to excellence, maintaining a distinctive reputation for affordable and family-friendly sports entertainment and consistently ranked as one of the top Things To Do in the Atlanta area and across the North Georgia region.For all the latest team news, contests, and more visit AtlantaGladiators.com, or like the Gladiators on Facebook (www.facebook.com/AtlantaGladiators), follow the team on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ATLGladiators), Instagram (www.instagram.com/atlgladiators) or Snapchat (www.snapchat.com) at gladshockey . -###-Photo Courtesy of Ben Dodds Graphics